


Whale You Be Mine

by Amlika



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Animal!EXO, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-15
Updated: 2016-03-15
Packaged: 2018-05-26 23:43:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6260620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amlika/pseuds/Amlika
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kyungsoo loves training beluga whale Kai at the beautiful L’oceanografic Aquarium, but is a little unsure what to do with the new intern Chanyeol.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Whale You Be Mine

The L'oceanografic Aquarium is the crowning jewel of the beautiful Spanish city of Valencia. Designed by the famous architect Felix Candela, the entire complex boasts modern curves that mimic organic structures, and towering blue and white buildings inspired by the natural color palettes of the mediterranean coast. 

It all seems like a beautiful dream to Chanyeol, as he stands on the center stage of a deep sapphire blue pool framed by swaying palm trees, and about to meet the most beloved creature at the aquarium and the equally famous trainer. Years of studying and training, all for the internship experience of a lifetime. Chanyeol fluffs his silvery bangs and fidgets nervously. Looking down at the white short sleeved shirt and skinny black jeans he wore, he can't help but feel a little overdressed. 

Deep within the water, Chanyeol spots a pale shadow approaching the surface at rapid speed. Before he can react, a stealthy white beluga whale breaks the water surface and jets into mid-air like a scene from a national geographic video. Its stark pale skin shining in the soft sunlight, the body elegantly curving like a seasoned dancer, and curious eyes that seem to be looking directly at Chanyeol. And then with a graceful flip of the tail, the whale shifts direction and shoots back into the embrace of the water. That is, after a monsoon of water splashes out of the pool and soaks Chanyeol from head to toe. Chanyeol can hear the mischievous whale chirps echoing deep in the water, like the sound of a kid giggling happily after a successful prank. 

"Kai, that was really very childish." A disapproving voice comes from behind him.

Chanyeol turns around to see a young man in full diving suit sauntering towards the edge of the stage, with a bucket of anchovies in hand. His large expressive brown eyes and heart-shaped full lips give off an innocent youthful vibe, but the authoritative tone in his voice is unmistakable. 

“Hi, I'm Do Kyungsoo, glad to have you here. It's been awhile since I've gotten to speak Korean." 

Chanyeol's eyes crinkle into a smile, his voice full of admiration. "Hi, Park Chanyeol. It's an honor to finally meet the world famous Dr. Do." 

"Please, just Kyungsoo. And none of that "world famous" nonsense." The trainer speaks modestly and jumps into the water right by the stage. The beluga whale is already anxiously waving his tail around and welcomes him with loud urgent squeaks. "You've already met Kai I see. There are some anchovies in the bucket over there if you want to feed him." 

Chanyeol grabs a handful of anchovies, and sits down by the edge of the stage, feet dangling in the water. Kai immediately starts to prod his hand until the anchovies are all gone, and dashes back to Kyungsoo's side like a loyal puppy. The sensation of Kai's cold, smooth skin leaves Chanyeol grinning from ear to ear. 

He looks up to Kyungsoo and tries to downplay the eagerness in his voice. "Dr. Do, I cannot tell you how happy I am to work with you. I've read all your publications. Your belief that aquariums should be used as a transitional training ground for rescued cetaceans, especially whales, is what inspired me to complete my studies to become a marine biologist."

Kyungsoo's response is calm but encouraging. "Glad to hear that. Kai can do some amazing tricks here, but what will be truly impressive is for him to successfully integrate back into wilderness after being in captivity for nine years. He will be the first whale in the world to go through this experience, and it's my job, I mean, our job to ensure he's ready." Beside him, Kai swishes his tail jovially, his permanent grin infectious and delightful. 

"Of course, Dr. Do. I've studied satellite telemetry for whale tagging, carbon and nitrogen isotope testing for blood health, genetic stock identifications to compare with wild belugas.” Chanyeol’s voice speeds up excitedly. “I've been preparing through all my graduate studies to work with you and Kai. If there's anything I can help with, anything at all, please let me know." 

Kyungsoo feels Chanyeol's hopeful gaze upon him. He thinks back to the last intern who always partied the night away and was in a perpetual slumber during the day. What a joy it will be to finally work with someone just as passionate about the subject as he is. He pats Kai's dorsal ridge lovingly as the whale splashes around him, and pretends to sink into deep contemplation. "Hmmm, let's see. I do need some serious help with one thing here... Do you know how to cook jajangmyeon?" 

"Um...." Clearly getting caught off guard by the question, Chanyeol tries to come up with a satisfying answer. 

Kyungsoo can't help but smile as he speaks again. "I'm just kidding. But honestly, it's tough starting a new job in a foreign city, I would know. Take your time and get settled in first. We'll work on the training schedule together soon."

Chanyeol chuckles as his shoulders relax. Feeling a little more at ease, he stands up to inspect the stage. "So this is where you train Kai on survival.. AAAAHHHH!" A piece of anchovy on the floor causes him to slip and fall.

Kyungsoo watches as the tall lanky figure splashes into the pool. He lunges forward but Kai gets to the poor Chanyeol before him, nudging his limbs from under the water enthusiastically with his soft bulbous forehead. 

"Ouch, damn anchovy, so slippery." Chanyeol emerges from the water, his playful whines quickly turning into giggles. "Hahaha stop Kai! Stop tickling me!" 

Kyungsoo watches amused as Chanyeol goofs around with the noisy beluga whale and lets out a relieved sigh. One thing for sure, this intern is definitely different than the others. And it's promising how quickly Kai has warmed up to him. 

After doing some recall exercises with Kai, and swapping into warm dry clothes, Kyungsoo shows Chanyeol around the aquarium. When he tells Chanyeol the nicknames he's given to all his favorite sea creatures, Chanyeol is equally parts amused and endeared. They pass killer whale Joon pressing his head against the glass, surrounded by a crowd of curious little kids pressing their tiny hands on the glass in return. Then out of the blue Joon snaps open his enormous mouth, making all the kids shrill and laugh in delight. 

Next, at the dolphin exhibit, they see bottlenose dolphin Sehun practicing jumps with a stunning brunette female trainer. 

"She looks so much like Miranda Kerr, right? Sehun used to ignore all the trainers, until she came last year," Kyungsoo states. "He's the star performer now, and whines nonstop if he doesn't get his daily practice session with her." 

Chanyeol observes the dolphin trying eagerly to jump higher after every round. "She must have great training techniques then..." 

They move onto the penguin habitat. Here the warmer Humboldt penguin exhibit is separated by a thick glass wall from the colder Antarctic emperor penguin section. Chanyeol points at two curious penguins that are busy chatting away despite the glass wall that stands between them. "Do these two always hang out together like this?" 

"Oh that's Luhan and Minseok. They are two different types of penguins and have to be separated due to ambient temperature requirements, but they love babbling to each other through the glass." Kyungsoo grins and shakes his head. "Nobody knows what they talk about since they don't even share a common language." 

"Wow, I guess friendship does transcend all barriers." Chanyeol inspects the little shelter the caregivers built for Luhan next to the glass wall where he likes to hangs out. 

As they walk out of the enclosure and back into the sun, a red beak seagull swoops down from the sky and lands squarely on Chanyeol's shoulder while loudly squawking "MINE."

Kyungsoo bursts out laughing when he glances at the petrified looking Chanyeol. "That is Baek the Audouin's seagull. He was brought to us by a tourist who found him with a broken wing on the nearby beach. His wing never fully healed so he always hangs around the aquarium now. Hahaha, I think he's trying to claim you."

Chanyeol looks at the beady black gull eyes staring back at him from shoulder level, and relents with a sigh. "Oh Baek, I'm sure we'll be good friends in no time." 

* * * * *

Sitting on the diving boat and basking in the golden Mediterranean sun, Kyungsoo watches as Chanyeol gears up for the "ocean walk" dive, a monthly exercise for Kai to practice being in the wild and interacting with other sea lives. He realizes with a slight panic that his initial assessment about the new intern is very much wrong, and that this realization comes a bit too late. 

Kyungsoo's life has always been carefully planned out. He's wanted to be a marine biologist since youth, and has diligently worked out a way to combine this career with his passion for rescuing and rehabilitating injured animals. 

All his friends and family were a little shocked when he accepted a position at L'oceanografic in Valencia, but Kyungsoo was perfectly at ease. It took him a lot of research and negotiation to find an institute that would support his research and plans for the whales; learning a new language and moving to a foreign country were nothing more than activities to be completed on a long checklist of necessities to reach the final goal. 

But along the way, it was impossible not to feel lonely sometimes. Maybe he takes care of himself a little too well, and is a little too good at staying focused on achieving his objectives in life? Kyungsoo often muses after an extra long training day with Kai, as he collapses onto the couch in his spotless but empty apartment, always alone. 

He thought Chanyeol would just be another colleague that he kept entirely outside of his personal life. An academic equal with similar passion of getting Kai ready for the big wild world, Kyungsoo had no problem incorporating Chanyeol into the training schedule. But unexpectedly, this intern's presence began to creep into hours outside of work too. Chanyeol did end up bringing homemade Jajangmyeon for lunch for both of them one day. It was so good that when he asked Kyungsoo if they could cook it together next time, it didn't take very long for Kyungsoo to cave in. 

Soon he started to notice some of the little things Chanyeol would do quietly to take care of him. A freshly brewed cup of coffee at work in the morning, a spare umbrella at the office on a rainy day, snacks on his desk in the afternoon when he usually feels peckish... It was almost overwhelming in the beginning to feel cared for, Kyungsoo always being the responsible one in life and declining any help from others. But Chanyeol, well Chanyeol feels different than the others. It's only been two months, but he can already sense when Chanyeol's lanky figure is behind him, a shadowy giant that's always on his side. And it feels strangely comforting. 

The other thing Kyungsoo cannot get used to is how easily distracted he's become recently. There are a million things that need his attention right now, as they prepare to dive under to observe Kai on his ocean walk, but somewhere along the way Kyungsoo finds himself pausing to stare at Chanyeol cleaning out their diving goggles. 

The sun seems to always hit this happy big kid's face at the perfect angle, making Chanyeol's doe-shaped eyes sparkle and his puckered lips a little more striking. Even with his limited Spanish, he is making the other crew members roar with laughter. And the tight diving suit hugs every curve of Chanyeol's slender yet firm body, leaving very little to the imagination. Every muscle is functional and toned, dedicated to focus on the task at hand. Chanyeol may act like a boy, but his body is unmistakably masculine. 

Kyungsoo hastily looks away but can feel the tip of his ears burn and his heart beating faster. Yep, he was definitely wrong about this new intern. In fact he can't think of another moment in life when he's ever been this confused about an individual. If only he could have a sign, some hint as to what he should do with Chanyeol, Kyungsoo wishes quietly, for the sake of his own sanity.

"Ready to go, Dr. Do?" 

Chanyeol is looking at him curiously, and Kyungsoo hates himself for blushing more. "Not Dr. Dyo, just Kyungsoo please. Sure, let's roll." Probably a good thing he doesn't catch Chanyeol sticking his tongue out behind his back. 

The second they jump into the refreshing ocean water, everything fades away. The chatter of the crew, the waves and wind, Kyungsoo's tangled worries on the surface, all fizzle into nothing but a static void in the ear. The ocean depth is a sight both familiar and awe inspiring to him, no matter how many dives he's done. 

At the shallower dive spots close to shore there are colorful fishes and coral reefs creating a picture-perfect visual, but Kai can dive up to 2000 feet deep, so once he's released from the channel connected to the aquarium pool, Kyungsoo tracks Kai's whereabouts and meets him away from the shore. So far he's done a few of these "walks" with Kai, and has been able to keep some continuous, if periodic, communications with Kai through whistles and sound recordings playing from the diving boat's speakers. Kai's response has also been overwhelmingly positive, always willing to stay around the boat and return to the aquarium through the channel. Kyungsoo would like to believe it's the bond between him and Kai, but a part of him knows that it's just pure luck; Kai is meant for the wild and won't be around forever. 

And this time Kyungsoo is not alone on the walk; he can see Chanyeol swimming in the water gracefully, and signaling ok to keep going, big inquisitive eyes smiling silently through the goggles. Together they move on. 

After a bit of swimming, they spot Kai in the distance. Same familiar white figure, but different in movement, relaxed and in tune with the ebbs and flows of the undercurrent. And next to him there's something else. A common dolphin dashing in and out playfully, practically swimming in circles around Kai. Before Kyungsoo can see Kai's perpetual grin up close, the beluga whale starts his ascend, and the other three follow. 

Once they reach the surface, Kyungsoo lets go of the mouthpiece for a breath of fresh air, and enjoys the sensation of Kai nuzzling up against him and Chanyeol. 

"Where did this dolphin come from?" Chanyeol points at the high-spirited dolphin whistling next to them, and looks even more surprised as Kai squeaks in unison as if in response. 

"I call him Chen. He's a wild dolphin that's been bumping into us out here ever since the first ocean walk. Sometimes I think he believes himself to be a beluga whale too, because I honestly have never seen a dolphin dive so deep before, or be so chatty with a whale." Kyungsoo lifts his goggles up and studies Chen up close. 

"Wow, Kai sure is popular everywhere." Chanyeol says, feet kicking casually in the water.

The pair of trainers watches as Kai and Chen play tag in the water for a while, Kai languid and self-assured, Chen hyper like a beagle puppy. Over their head, seagulls make an occasional appearance in curiosity. Chanyeol swears he can hear one of the seagulls squawking "MINE" a few times, but Kyungsoo is doubtful Baek can fly this far off shore. 

Then without a warning, Chen makes a series of urgent clicks and flips into the ocean, followed by Kai, swishing his tail right behind Chen. By the time Kyungsoo blows his whale whistle, both cetaceans have disappeared from the surface. 

"Kyungsoo, we are getting far from the boat and have been in the water for a while already. Maybe we should go back and track Kai on the sonar." Chanyeol turns around looking for the diving boat in the distance. 

"No, the active sonar tag on Kai only has a 0.5 mile range, I don't want to risk losing him. Let's just follow them, maybe Chen is playing around and they are not far away." Keeping his voice calm, Kyungsoo takes a deep breath and re-inserts the mouthpiece. Chanyeol gives an affirmative nod, and they are once again submerged in the water. 

Chanyeol turns on the diving light and they can spot Kai's pale outline in the distance, deep into the ocean. Just a bit more, he has to stop soon. Kyungsoo thinks and tries to stay focused as the surrounding becomes darker and murkier with every foot of descend. He can sense the visibility dropping around him, but his gaze is locked onto the shining beacon of diving light in front of them into the bottomless void. Just a bit more. Kyungsoo feels his thoughts fixated on the shadowy figure of Kai.

Don't leave me yet, Kai, I'm not ready.

Suddenly the light flickers and shakes in the darkness, Kyungsoo turns around and sees Chanyeol slowing down and having trouble holding onto the light. His usually purposeful movements are instead sluggish and unsure, as he stumbles in confusion. 

In a panic, Kyungsoo glances down at his depth gauge: 190 feet. He feels an overwhelming wave of guilt flooding his heart, as he rushes to Chanyeol's side. In his selfish pursuit of the beluga whale, they descended too deep and much too fast, especially for a pair of infrequent divers. 

Shaking his head in an effort to fight off the drowsiness, and pointing down in the general direction of Kai, Chanyeol signally them to continue. But Kyungsoo grabs his hand and starts to swim back towards the surface. 

The ascend towards the brightness of the water surface feels like an eternity. Kyungsoo can sense Chanyeol's grip on his hand becoming lighter and lighter. Looking down, he sees Chanyeol's eyelids struggling to stay open, his slender body flowing in water weightlessly. The diving light gently slips out of Chanyeol's hand, as the beam of light tumbles down into the void.

It takes Kyungsoo all the willpower in the world to rise cautiously to the surface. Slowly, decompress properly, don't hurt him any more than you already have, Kyungsoo scolds himself inwardly and tries desperately to control the sense of panic that fills his thoughts.

To his relief, the diving boat has apparently tracked down their whereabouts and is waiting nearby on the surface. Immediately after the crew helps drag both of them onto the boat, Kyungsoo clumsily checks for Chanyeol's heartbeat. Pale face, shallow and almost undetectable breathing, lifeless limbs. Kyungsoo desperately searches through all the academic details of hypercapnia in his head, and hates himself for feeling so useless. I did this to you Chanyeol. I should've let it go. Kai never belonged to me. The guilt is crippling and Kyungsoo would give up anything just to fix the broken boy in front of him. 

"Please be ok, Chanyeol. I'm sorry." He whispers pleadingly, clutching Chanyeol's body closer to him. 

Kyungsoo's not sure how much time passed before Chanyeol's eyes finally open. The intern's voice is soft but concerned. "Did we catch up with Kai?" 

"No, but it's ok, I shouldn't have been so obsessed, to think you could've been so hurt..." Kyungsoo's voice trails off as he struggles to speak.

"I'm good, Dr. Do." Chanyeol grins but realizes Kyungsoo is genuinely concerned and doesn't even wince at the sound of the title. "Sorry my stamina has always been pretty bad, just an out-of-shape nerd I'm afraid." 

"I'll be more careful next time Chanyeol, I'm so sorry." 

Chanyeol grabs the rambling Kyungsoo into an encouraging half hug. "Hey, it's ok, really, I'm good. How about this, have me over at your place soon for some of that kimchi spaghetti you've promised to make, and we are all good, deal? "

"Deal." Kyungsoo looks away and desperately hopes Chanyeol doesn't notice his teary eyes. 

Just then Kyungsoo hears the cheerful chirps of Kai, he follows the direction of the sound and sees Kai and Chen both peeking their heads out curiously by the side of the boat. A rush of relief finally takes over as he collapses onto the floor next to Chanyeol. Sneaky irresponsible cetaceans! 

* * * * *

Summer at the Russian Okhotsk port is beautiful but frigid, a gentle wind that hugs your senses with salty ocean fragrance and the chill of the arctic. 

Two figures stand side by side on the spacious fishing ship anchored far from shore. Looking to his side, Chanyeol can see the weariness in Kyungsoo's eyes. It's been one heck of a journey. Even since the last ocean walk with the little unexpected complication involving his near death, Kyungsoo has been acting very differently. First off, realizing Kai's eagerness to explore the wilderness, Kyungsoo moved up the beluga's scheduled release date. While Chanyeol agrees Kai's more than ready, he's not so sure about the trainer, who became even quieter as he buried himself in all the preparation work. 

Kyungsoo's attitude towards Chanyeol has also changed; it's as if he's finally decided to let his guard down. Chanyeol can feel his heart melt just thinking about how fragile Kyungsoo looked accidentally asleep on his couch last week. 

They’d had a very long day at work, followed by a satisfying homemade meal together. By the time he finished cleaning up the kitchen, he saw the usually distant and proper Dr. Dyo all curled up on his couch like a little kitten. Long lashes casting soft shadows on his porcelain skin, full lips that whispered a quiet moan as Chanyeol gently placed a blanket on him. He looked so young and vulnerable. Chanyeol knew it was a side of himself that Kyungsoo rarely let anyone see. People often forget that the independent and self-reliant ones also need to be taken care of once in a while. 

Chanyeol has never told Kyungsoo that on the first day they met, soaking wet in his jeans and smelling like anchovies, he already knew that Kyungsoo was going to be someone special in his life. 

The rumbling noises of the overhead crane snaps Chanyeol out of his wandering thoughts. His eyes follow the crane as it slowly lifts the huge fabric stretcher out of the shipping container in the middle of the ship, Kai's face peeking out of one side of the stretcher. Chanyeol feels Kyungsoo's hand instinctively clutching onto his sleeve in nervousness, and gives it a supportive squeeze. The stretcher is then carefully placed into the ocean, and with a firm wiggle Kai swims out into the open water. He seems just as worn out as Kyungsoo after the long journey, even though Kyungsoo sat right by the edge of the opened container top during the whole trip comforting Kai with snacks and patting. 

Chanyeol watches in amazement as Kai slowly swims around the ship, getting used to the chilly Russian water. Kyungsoo pulls on his sleeve a little harder. With a gentle sigh he reaches out and holds Kyungsoo closer with one arm. 

"Do you think he'll be ok?" Kyungsoo's voice is concerned and uncertain, like a worried mom watching her kid going to school on the first day. 

"He'll be alright, Soo, you've trained him well." Chanyeol starts to wave Kai farewell, and Kyungsoo follows suit, however reluctantly. 

Way down below the ship surface, at the water level, they can see Kai looking up at them and chirping excitedly. Then with a determined tail swing, he dives into the water and starts moving away. A new life awaits him; Chanyeol and Kyungsoo had received confirmation earlier during the day that a pod of beluga whales has been spotted in the vicinity. 

Chanyeol directs his attention back to Kyungsoo, whose eyes are fixed on Kai's figure slowly disappearing into the distance. 

"So, Dr. Do, what's next? We can either go look at the new long range radio tag tracking system we've set up for Kai, or... maybe you can find some food to feed your starving intern?" He rubs his tummy diligently, hoping to win some sympathy. 

Kyungsoo's eyes still look a little dazed and lost. "You know, I've never quite pictured this moment before, the moment we actually achieve our goal and succeed in releasing Kai into the wild." 

"Does it feel good?" 

"Well, for the whole past month, I've been so scared of the thought of losing Kai. But now that it's done, I'm actually ok with it." Kyungsoo speaks slowly, choosing each word carefully in his mind. "He was always meant to live here, not shacked up in an artificial aquarium pool. I just gotta let him go."

"But you still got me, Dr. Do! Your loyal intern that will always be by your side!" Chanyeol pats his chest in an exaggerated gesture of loyalty, and feels his heart swell with happiness when Kyungsoo responds with a shy smile. 

In that moment, with Kyungsoo's attentive glance upon him, Chanyeol feels a sudden surge of courage, and reaches out to grab Kyungsoo's hand. "So, um, I was thinking, when we are back in Valencia, do you want to maybe go on a proper first date with m..."

"MINE!" Loud gull squawk overhead. 

"OK! Chanyeol, this time I definitely heard it too!" Kyungsoo's eyebrows furrow as he looks around for Baek, while Chanyeol falls to the floor laughing. 

* * * * *

A year later.

Text messages between Chanyeol and Kyungsoo: 

Chanyeol: Dr. Do!  
Kyungsoo: Don't call me that.  
Chanyeol: Love, I was thinking for our first year anniversary, maybe I could cook Jajangmyeon for you at home?  
Kyungsoo: Sounds nice :)  
Chanyeol: And after dinner I got something for ya... The other trainer Tao showed me some sexy whale mating videos ;p  
Chanyeol: Soo?  
Chanyeol: Soo?  
Chanyeol: Sorry I thought it might be your thing :( Does that mean I should also return the whale costume I got on Amazon :( 

Next day.  
Chanyeol: Soo, I miss u already! Last nite was amazing!  
Kyungsoo: :)  
Chanyeol: Soo, can I tell u a secret?  
Kyungsoo: Sure.  
Chanyeol: Um u know how I like to call u Dr. Do?  
Kyungsoo: Yes....  
Chanyeol: I do it cause... I think it's kinda hot :p Can I call u Dr. Do in bed next time?  
Kyungsoo: Maybe once....  
Chanyeol: REALLY?!!!!  
Kyungsoo: Did u really return that whale costume?


End file.
